All For a King
by Salsa849
Summary: Merlin is woken by a mysterious voice warning him of danger, but he's too late. The King is gone; taken, and now he, Arthur and the rest of the Round Table must embark on yet another perilous journey across the kingdoms... Slash, full summary inside
1. A Stranger in Camelot

**Summary: ****Merlin is woken by a mysterious voice warning him of danger, but he's too late. The King is gone; taken in the night by an unknown force. It is up to him, Arthur and the rest of the Round Table to pick up the pieces and find their King, but as they embark on yet another journey across the realms; as the fragile peace of the love triangle threatens to break and tensions arise; as they draw closer to the perils and tests awaiting them, they all must ask themselves: how high a price are they willing to pay, for the King's life? **

**Rating: K+**

**Genre: Romance/Adventure**

**Warning: Series 3 Spoilers, Eventual slash**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of the characters; they belong to the BBC, sadly...**

**Hello Merlin readers! This is my first Merlin fanfiction, so constructive criticism is very welcome! As are reviews :) I got the idea for this story in a dream (one of my best dreams ever), and have been developing it over the past couple of weeks so that it makes enough sense to be published. This takes place after Series 3, and won't contain any OC pairings. Without further ado, hope you enjoy! :)**

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All For a King

Chapter One - A Stranger in Camelot

Market day dawned bright and sunny in the kingdom of Camelot, the sun continuing to shine throughout the day. Knights and nobles of Camelot moved amongst the ordinary men, women and children, most heading instinctively for the shaded stalls. The noise was almost overwhelming with so many people shouting to be heard, and to make matters worse it was harvest time; early autumn, so the market place was even more crowded than usual. In the bustle and clamour of the day, no one noticed as a simply dressed girl entered the city and slipped easily through the crowd in the direction of the castle. She was far from being the only young woman in Camelot going to the castle that day, but she was the only one who held a glittering dagger concealed beneath her hooded cloak.

Sadly, not all were available to enjoy the warm day. In the middle of the knights' training grounds, a manservant winced as a knife thudded into the wooden shield he was struggling to hold, sending him to his knees - _again._

'Come _on_, Merlin!' the Prince's exasperated voice rang out over the mostly deserted grounds.

Merlin staggered to his feet once more and held the shield up, as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. It had been one of those days when Arthur woke up energetic, raring to go and insisting on a heavy training session. Luckily those days didn't occur that often - sometimes only two or three days in a month - but Merlin dreaded them all the same. It was even worse than the days that Arthur decided he wanted _every single thing_ in his room cleaned and polished - including his armour. They'd been at it since nine in the morning, and now the midday sun was beating down on them mercilessly. Arthur seemed strangely unaffected by it; even as he wore his heavy armour and padding.

Ten minutes later, Merlin simply refused to get up.

'_Merlin!_' Arthur growled. 'How am I meant to practice with you just lying there like a dead dog?'

'Get someone else to practice with you,' Merlin retorted, not moving from his sprawled position on the grass.

'Maybe I will!' the Prince fumed.

'Fine by me,' his servant replied, eyes closing involuntarily.

There was a pause, as Merlin listened for the angry exclamations and frustrated stamps that he was sure would follow. Instead, he heard an angry sigh and the sound of footsteps moving towards him. He opened his eyes slowly to see Arthur leaning over him, a hand extended towards him and a weary, resigned expression on his face. The young warlock eyed the hand warily. Arthur rolled his eyes. 'Just get up, Merlin.'

Still suspicious, Merlin took the offered hand and Arthur pulled him to his feet easily. 'Um…thanks,' he muttered.

Arthur sighed and stepped back, dropping Merlin's hand almost immediately. 'I'm sorry; I forgot how _weak_ you can be sometimes.' His words became a sneer and Merlin rolled his eyes too, as Arthur turned away from him. It hadn't taken long at all for the Prince's arrogance to return.

'In my defence, I've been running and carrying a lot more than you have,' he pointed out. 'If you had to carry that bloody thing on your back while running up and down a field, you wouldn't be laughing now.'

The Prince grinned dangerously. 'Is that a challenge?'

'Definitely not.'

'Good. Take a break; go get food or whatever, you look like you're about to fall over. But be back here in half an hour.' With that, Arthur strode off without a backwards glance. Shaking his head at his master's changing moods, Merlin hurried towards the kitchens. On his way through the main courtyard, he stopped to hold the door for a girl of about fifteen, smiling politely as she passed. She smiled tentatively back, and when she was gone he wondered why he hadn't seen her in the castle before. Shrugging it off, he went on his way. He doubted that Arthur's strange new generosity would extend to him being late.

* * *

After the break, thankfully they moved on from knife throwing. Instead, Arthur made Merlin swordfight with him. He insisted it would come in useful for Merlin, and given the amount of life-threatening situations he seemed to find himself in, the young warlock had to agree.

The last had occurred three months ago; when Morgana and Morgause had taken over Camelot with the help of Cenred's immortal army. Luckily there had been nine of them left to fight against the witches - and to succeed. Morgana had not been seen in Camelot since she had disappeared in a flurry of broken glass and screams, clutching her half-sister's unmoving body to her.

The King was still recovering from the loss and betrayal of his daughter and ward, and so Arthur had been stepping in a lot more recently to keep the kingdom running. He never spoke of Morgana, but Merlin knew that he was still hurting from her betrayal - and also, that of his father's in never telling him the truth of Morgana's parentage. Here Merlin sympathized with Arthur; in his opinion the King could have at _least_ put an end to all the hints, rumours, and expectations that one day, Morgana would be Queen of Camelot. It couldn't have been easy for Arthur, learning that the young woman he once flirted with was in actual fact his _sister. _

'Keep a firmer grip on the sword,' Arthur commanded, dragging the young warlock from his thoughts. 'Don't wave it about so wildly - it's all about _control.' _To demonstrate, he executed a particularly skilled manoeuvre; spinning the heavy sword effortlessly in his hands.

Merlin nodded and tried to follow his instructions, but more often than not he ended up on his back with Arthur's sword at his throat. At last, after a particularly gruelling rally, Arthur removed his sword from Merlin's throat and leaned on it, breathing heavily. 'You're getting better.'

'So are you,' Merlin replied truthfully as he gingerly sat up. Arthur seemed about to offer a hand to pull him up, but suddenly decided against it and strode off, calling over his shoulder mockingly;

'I trust you can get up by yourself this time?'

'Yes, _sire_,' Merlin muttered sarcastically, a fake cheery grin on his face as he gathered up the various pieces of equipment that Arthur had discarded before making his way precariously to the armoury.

* * *

Night had fallen and the moon risen high over Camelot when the newcomer to the city finally stirred. The girl stretched her cramped muscles and slowly, cautiously, crept out of the alcove in which she'd been hiding, into a deserted hallway in the east wing of the castle. Glancing around every few seconds, she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and clutching her necklace with her other hand, whispered something to it. Immediately her eyes glowed gold, and a ball of light materialised before her. Smiling, with her hand she drew it closer to her until the faint white light fell on the paper before her, revealing a relatively simple map of the castle. Her eyes rested on a large, prominent 'X' on the map, and with another quick murmur and a flash of gold the ball of light shrunk in size until it was barely the size of a cherry. It began to float away from the girl, guiding her to her destination. She pulled her green cloak closer around her, covering her dark blonde hair easily and followed it on her way.

The two men guarding the King's chambers jumped to their feet hurriedly as a strange girl rounded the corner, their swords held out threateningly.

'Who are you and what is your purpose here?' the one on the right asked roughly.

The girl said nothing, only stopped a few metres away, lowered her hood and smiled serenely at them. However this had no effect. Mistrust had been drilled thoroughly into their minds, and they only kept a tighter hold on their swords.

'I _said_, what is your purpose here?' the first man demanded, angrily now.

'Tell us your name!' the other commanded, taking a step closer to her.

Gripping her necklace, the girl smirked and before the guards could stop her, uttered an incantation. Within seconds the two resumed their posts and stared straight ahead, unseeing. She waved a hand in front of their faces to check it had worked; they didn't even blink. Stepping past them she tried the handle of the door but it remained locked. Another incantation took care of that and then she was in the King's chambers, closing the door quietly behind her.

The girl approached the King as he lay on the luxurious bed, her face contorting in hatred. He tossed and turned restlessly as he slept, occasionally muttering unintelligible phrases. His face was lined and troubled, and the heavy crown rested on his bedside table. Fear crept into the girls expression for a moment, as she prepared for what she was about to do. But the memory of a loved one spurred her on, and her silent feet took her closer to the King's bedside as she unsheathed the dagger hidden in her bodice. She raised it above her gripping the hilt tightly, its razor sharp tip positioned directly above her sovereign's heart, and as anger flashed in her eyes so too the silver dagger flashed downwards -

* * *

Without warning a great wind swept through Camelot, extinguishing all lit candles and shattering windows. Merlin sat bolt upwards in his bed as a loud cry of '_EMRYS!_' echoed throughout his head. Instinctively he leapt to his feet and sprinted out of his room, past Gaius and out into the hallways of the castle. The King was in danger, he could feel it, and now that same unseen voice urged him to hurry. It was not the Great Dragon, he was sure of that. It was no one's voice he recognized, but he didn't dwell on that as he sped through the castle, the wind pushing him forward - his only thought was to save the King.

Turning the last corner to the King's bedroom, Merlin paid no attention to the two guards standing as if in a trance and instead with a single thought blew the door off its hinges.

* * *

The girl screamed inadvertently as an eerily strong wind blew in, picking her up and throwing her bodily to the back of the room. She cried out again in pain as she hit the wall and slid down it, staring in bewilderment as a great vortex of air swirled around the King, blocking him from view. The dagger she had held had been torn from her hand and was nowhere to be seen. She tried to seize her necklace, a spell forming on her lips but that too was ripped from her - and then, without warning one of the entrance doors blew in, barely missing her as it flew across the room and crashed into the opposite wall. A dark-haired young man burst in - the one who'd smiled at her earlier, she realised with a shock. He paid no attention to her but instead ran towards the vortex, which held him off effortlessly. Withdrawing a few paces, he held his hand out and shouted something in the language of the Old Religion. She gasped as pure power unlike anything she'd ever seen suffused his words, and his eyes flashed gold. For a split second the vortex weakened and they caught a glimpse of Uther, still lying on the bed, but almost immediately it resumed its former strength and the brief window closed. The man tried again, and out of the corner of her eye the girl finally saw her dagger lying across the room, embedded in a soft chair. She began to crawl stealthily across the room, hoping he wouldn't see her. If she could only reach the dagger…take her revenge…kill the King…_KILL THE KING_…

Merlin growled as yet another spell seemed to bounce harmlessly off the vortex. This was raw, unbound power, and it was as stubborn as he was. Summoning his magic once again he yelled; _'Gayad du brerthorn ilmae! Karûn omenthay se unrabir!' _It visibly swayed, and then the voice hissed through his head again; _'We are on your side, Emrys. The girl is your priority. Stop her!'_

Confused, Merlin looked around to see that the girl had crossed the room and was now aiming a silver dagger at the bed, preparing to throw it with all the strength she had left. Though extremely powerful, the vortex was essentially only air and from what little knowledge Merlin had gleaned from its brief contact with his mind, it seemed to be concentrating all its power on something else entirely - it was up to him to stop the girl.

'_Hætende!_' he shouted, throwing out a hand. The dagger glowed red hot in the girl's hand but she had no time to cry out only to drop it instinctively, hand burning, before another cry sent her flying backwards to collide with the wall once again. Her eyes closed and her body fell limply to the floor. Merlin breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that she was only unconscious; not dead. Whatever her intentions, he didn't want to be responsible for the death of someone barely out of childhood.

He looked back to the King just in time to see the vortex increase in speed before a bright light flared throughout the whole room blinding both him, and the knights and soldiers who had just entered into the chaos. When his eyes finally settled enough to see, the moonlight shining in through the now empty window arches reflected solely off the white sheets of the king-sized bed - Uther Pendragon was nowhere to be seen.

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**A/N: I'm not really sure what language they use when they do magic; at least I think its Old English, but I can't really say that here so I'm just gonna call it the Old Religion language for now. If I've got it wrong, please feel free to correct me! **

**xxx**


	2. Taken

**Thanks to everyone who favourited, story-alerted and reviewed! You guys are great, I've never got so many story alerts for just the first chapter before :D I wish I could have had this up sooner and I would love to be able to update every day, but this school year is a horribly important one, so work has to come first :( *sigh* I'm going to try and update every few days; at least once a week anyway!**

**Also, thanks to my unofficial Beta Naomily4EVA! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, otherwise I would make him magic all my homework away so I could update faster ;)**

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Chapter Two - Taken

Merlin continued to stare in bewilderment at the space where Uther's body should have been. A last breeze rolled in through the windows; passing silently over their stunned faces and ruffling their hair lightly. As Merlin felt it fan over him, a message only for him whispered in his ear; _'We shall meet again soon, young warlock.'_ The voice from before was now joined by other masculine voices, and he didn't doubt that they were powerful magic-users. Who else could create a sight like that he'd just seen?

The first (present) voice to break the silence was Gwaine's, as he swore lightly. Merlin whirled around to see the knights for the first time. His friends Gwaine, Lancelot and Percival were standing at the forefront of the group, swords out and all looking equally shocked. Fear gripped him as he wondered how long they'd been there.

'Merlin!' Lancelot exclaimed in surprise. He frowned, and his expression turned suspicious. 'What are you doing here?'

'Same as us, most likely,' Gwaine replied wryly, nodding towards the empty bed.

Fortunately he was saved from having to answer by Arthur's arrival. The Crown Prince burst into the room followed by Sir Leon and a few more knights. 'Father!' he cried, then stopped upon seeing the empty bed. 'Where is he?' he demanded, holding his blade out before him as he whirled to face the men. Only a few had their armour on, most were wearing nightclothes or hastily thrown on shirts and cloaks, some were bare-chested and they were all terrified at the sight of an angry, desperate Prince.

'We don't know my Lord,' one spoke up from the back, bowing his head humbly. 'He's not in his bed.'

'I can see that,' Arthur snapped, glaring around at them. 'What happened?'

'There was a great vortex of air, sir, surrounding them when we entered,' Percival replied directly. 'We couldn't see through it, and it disappeared almost as soon as we arrived with a blinding white light. When we could open our eyes again, it was gone.'

'Is this true?' he demanded. They all hurried to agree with Percival, nodding vigorously. A great weight seemed to fall on Arthur's shoulders. 'It's magic, then.'

At his words Lancelot's eyes flickered over to Merlin, looking worried and fearful.

'Fetch Gaius, he might know something about this,' Arthur ordered. 'And don't tell anyone else of what has happened - not yet, anyway. We can't have the whole kingdom panicking.'

'Yes, sire.' A few knights exited the room, leaving the majority still with Arthur.

'My lord, the boy - your servant - might know something,' one of Arthur's longest-standing knights suggested, his eyes glinting dangerously at Merlin. 'He was here before us.'

Merlin inwardly cursed as Arthur turned his gaze upon him. Due to the rumours of his closeness to Arthur - and the trust the future King was said to put in him - most of the knights of Camelot disliked and were jealous of him. Merlin found this ridiculous; who would actually _want_ to do all Arthur's dirty work? The knights were obviously as thick as he'd once said - excepting those of the Round Table, of course.

'Merlin?' Arthur asked in disbelief, and then began to laugh. 'Sir Ryner, do you honestly think that _Merlin_ had something to do with this?'

'I do not know, sir,' Sir Ryner replied, bowing quickly to Arthur. 'But he arrived here before us - and just before we entered, I remember hearing someone call out. It could be a spell, sir.'

'Now you're being ridiculous,' Arthur said, becoming serious. 'There's no way _Merlin_ of all people is a sorcerer.' He missed the hidden smiles in both Merlin and Lancelot's eyes. 'Although,' he turned back to Merlin now, frowning. 'What _were _you doing here?'

'The - the wind,' Merlin said quickly. 'It woke me up, and I came to see if the King was all right.'

'As did we, my lord,' Gwaine added. 'We were all woken by that strong wind, with a sense of foreboding about our King's safety.'

'I see,' Arthur nodded. 'Well you should all be proud of yourselves - it's only a pity the sorcerer got away.' He was about to continue when he caught sight of the girl huddled against the wall behind Merlin, still unconscious. 'Wait, who's that?'

The knights looked at each other uncertainly. 'I've never seen her before in my life, sir,' Sir Leon said, looking puzzled as he stepped closer to look at her.

'Neither have I, and I know most of the girls in Camelot,' Gwaine put in, grinning.

'I saw her earlier today,' Merlin finally spoke up uncomfortably, and every eye in the room turned upon him once again. 'She was entering the castle then. And tonight, she was already here when I arrived - I think she tried to get past the vortex, and was blown backwards by it.'

'If it was to save the King, then she was very brave,' Arthur replied. 'I'll have Gaius take a look at her - she'll be honoured for that.'

'I - I don't think she was trying to save him, Arthur,' Merlin said quietly, his mouth suddenly dry. Feeling like a betrayer, he bent to pick up the silver dagger and handed it to him. Silence fell over the room as the Crown Prince turned the dagger over in his hands, looking at it and the girl closely. Even Gwaine looked genuinely worried.

At last the Prince looked up. 'The dagger bears no mark of the Pendragon family, nor that of any of the noble families loyal to us. It belongs to an enemy. Sir Ryner; Sir Ladrian; take her to Gaius' chambers - I will speak with her when she's conscious. The rest of you, search this room for anything else that might belong to her, anything suspicious or foreign, and search the castle for my Father. Remember, _no one_ must be told about this.' His voice was controlled and commanding, but his servant heard the underlying anger and fear. Before Merlin could speak to him further, Gaius arrived.

'You sent for me, my lord?' he asked, bowing slightly. His gaze went to the empty bed, the knights ransacking the room, Sir Ryner carrying the unconscious girl out of the room, the silver dagger held in Arthur's hand and lastly to Merlin, as his eyebrow slid higher and higher up his forehead. 'Sire, what happened?'

'Come outside, I'll give you a full account of it,' Arthur said briskly, and he and Gaius disappeared outside, the latter casting a suspicious look at Merlin.

He had barely begun to help with the search when Lancelot grabbed him and pulled him into a corner, out of earshot of the others. Anger, fear, worry and - unfairly, Merlin couldn't help thinking - more suspicion warred in his eyes as he inwardly wrestled with himself. Finally he blurted it out. 'Merlin, tell me the truth. Was it you who did this?'

Merlin looked at him in horror. 'No! Of course it wasn't ! I mean, how - why would you think that?'

Lancelot sighed in relief, and his shoulders slumped as he visibly relaxed. 'I'm sorry Merlin, but you heard Arthur, it was magic. And you were here before any of us. I have to make sure; it is my duty as a knight of Camelot. But you are also my friend, and I don't believe that you would lie to me. If you swear to me that you had nothing, nothing at all to do with this, then I will believe you.'

'I swear on my life that I had nothing to do with the conjuring up of the vortex, or the disappearance of the King!'

'Not good enough.' Lancelot shook his head, a small smile forming. 'I've seen you risk your life for others too many times.'

Merlin rolled his eyes. 'Fine, I swear on _Arthur's_ life. Happy?'

'Much better,' Lancelot grinned. 'I know you would never endanger his life in an oath.'

'Never,' Merlin admitted. 'I've saved his royal pratness too many times to risk it with a lie.'

'So what _did_ happen?' Lancelot asked curiously. 'Was it the girl?'

'I don't think so. I know it sounds strange but…I think the vortex was on our side.'

'Why do you think that?'

'Lancelot, stop chattering to Merlin and make yourself useful,' Arthur ordered brusquely. 'Merlin, I need you.'

'Yes sire,' Merlin and Lancelot said together, and Lancelot bowed quickly to him. 'I'll tell you later,' Merlin just had time to whisper to his friend before he followed Arthur out of the room.

* * *

'It could be a trick,' Gaius said gravely, shaking his head.

'Why would they want to trick me?'

'You're Arthur's servant,' Lancelot joined him, looking serious. 'They can use you to get to him.'

'It doesn't make sense!' Merlin groaned. He glared at the disgustingly orange potion he was mixing for Gaius. 'Why would they help me save the King only to steal him away?'

'It's all very strange,' Gaius mused. 'I wonder where the girl comes into all of this.'

'I don't think she had anything to do with the vortex or the people controlling it,' Merlin decided, glancing over at the still unconscious girl laid out on the bed. He stirred the potion a little more vigorously as he spoke. 'She seemed confused and frightened by it too, and it did tell me to stop her.'

'Well I don't think she was just a girl in the wrong place at the wrong time,' Gaius said firmly, his right eyebrow raised sceptically. 'The two are connected somehow.'

'I guess we'll find out when she wakes up,' Merlin sighed.

'Shouldn't she have woken up by now?' Lancelot asked worriedly. 'It's been over twelve hours!'

'Yes, I know,' Gaius replied, brow furrowed. 'She should wake up soon. Here Merlin, give me that before you over-mix it.' Merlin reluctantly handed over the bowl. It had felt good having something to do. He sat down at the table opposite Lancelot, and began to drum his fingers restlessly on the table.

'How am I meant to tell Arthur any of this?' the young warlock suddenly burst out, rising from his chair and pacing around the room. Gaius watched him with mild interest, while Lancelot looked on in concern. 'How do I tell him that the thing that took his father also helped to save him? That I think its going to return? That although its obviously magic, it might be good? That it _told_ me all of this _through_ magic? How -'

'Maybe you're not meant to,' Lancelot cut him off gently.

'Or maybe you should wait until after the girl is awake to worry about telling him,' Gaius said bluntly. 'In the meantime, look through your spell book and see if there's anything on conjuring vortexes there.'

Merlin sighed again but did as Gaius said, his anger dissolving quickly.

'Is there anything I can do to help?' Lancelot asked politely as Merlin disappeared up the stairs into his bedroom. His services as a knight of Camelot weren't needed that day, because of the King's disappearance the night before. Arthur had ordered that all knights continue to search for anything that might show where his father had gone; so Lancelot had volunteered to stay with the girl, and Merlin.

'You could continue reading through that book from where I left off,' Gaius indicated the faded leather-bound manuscript lying open next to the orange potion, which was now bubbling unpleasantly. 'Tell me if you find anything relating to vortexes, or even long distance spells. Thank you Lancelot, that would be very helpful.'

Ten minutes later, Merlin clattered noisily back down the stairs. 'Got it!' he cried excitedly, setting his book on the table with a thump.

'How many times have I told you; don't bring that in here!' Gaius cried irritably.

Ignoring him, Merlin flipped to the page he wanted, and laid a long finger on the third paragraph down. 'Look; there.'

The old physician bent over, holding his glasses firmly and began to read the passage aloud. Lancelot joined them at the table, looking over Merlin's shoulder curiously. _' "Conjuring up a vortex of air and wind using magic requires great strength and skill, and can be very dangerous for the sorcerer involved. It was often used by priests and priestesses of the Old Religion…A properly constructed spell will transport the sorcerer or sorceress over large distances with almost no time lost between the two destinations." '_

'Merlin, that's exactly it!' Lancelot exclaimed.

'Read on, there's more…'

Gaius adjusted his glasses and continued. _' "This spell can also be used to transport others over large distances with a few alterations made to the wording. The closer the spell-caster is to the victim" - _meaning the person who will be transported, I'm sure _- "the easier the spell will be. Skilled sorcerers have been known to group together and merge their power to transport people and objects very far from them across great distances, and it can be used as a way to summon others. In most kingdoms it is strictly forbidden in battle_"…oh dear_…"If the sorcerer's power is not sufficient for the spell created then it will feed off him until he dies." '_

'So it must be a very powerful sorcerer who has done this,' Lancelot said, breaking the silence that had followed the last sentence.

'More likely a group,' Gaius said grimly. 'And a very far away group at that…Merlin, what are you doing?'

'Nothing,' Merlin replied quickly, too quickly, snatching his hand away from the book where it had been tracing the runes of the spell. 'I'd say it was a group too, that explains the different voices - '

'Don't even _think _about it,' his mentor warned, cutting him off. 'It's much too complex and dangerous to attempt.'

'But Gaius, think how useful the spell would be!' Merlin exclaimed, eyes shining.

'I forbid it,' Gaius growled. 'When you have more experience, then you can attempt it.'

'I think Gaius is right,' Lancelot added unwillingly. 'It sounds dangerous, and I don't doubt that we'll need you to get the King back. That they spoke directly to you is proof enough of that.'

Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but a movement from the bed interrupted him. Argument forgotten, Gaius hurried to the girl's side while Merlin and Lancelot stood back. Her eyes flickered open and she moaned slightly as the bright light hit them. Slowly, cautiously, they opened again, and she stared at Gaius' kind face in confusion. 'Who-who…' she struggled to speak.

'I'm Gaius, the court physician,' he gently reassured her. 'Don't worry, I'm here to help you. How do you feel?'

'Sore,' she admitted, pushing herself upright. She winced as she noticed the bandages on her head and back, which had been scraped and bruised during her fall. 'My back and my head hurt…what happened? How did I get here?'

'I was told that you were thrown against a wall,' Gaius told her, his expression carefully neutral. 'You were found unconscious in the King's room and a knight brought you here, to be healed.'

She frowned, before her grey eyes opened wide and she visibly paled. '_No,_' she whispered, then her voice increased in volume as she threw herself back onto the bed, ignoring the pain. 'No, no, _no!'_

'Hold her down before she does any further injury to herself,' Gaius instructed as the girl turned onto her side and began to cry. Merlin and Lancelot nodded and warily came forward. As they reached her side, the only thing they could make out through her broken sobs was one repeated phrase; _'I failed… I failed…' _As Merlin touched her shoulder gently, trying to ease her onto her back again, she started and jumped back, away from him.

'_You,_' she hissed, eyes burning with anger. 'Get off me!' she shrieked, and proceeded to thrash even more violently. Lancelot refused to let go of her though and Gaius took Merlin's place at her other side, while the warlock stood back and looked on, feeling ashamed of himself. At last she calmed down and sank back onto the bed, now sobbing quietly. Finally her tears dried, and she pulled herself together to speak again. 'I'm under arrest, aren't I?'

'The Prince wants to speak with you first,' Gaius told her.

'Does he know I tried to kill the King?'

'I would not speak so openly of it if I was you.'

'What difference does it make now? I won't pretend I didn't try; had I succeeded, I would have been proud.' She lifted her chin a little higher as she said this, but Merlin thought he identified a flicker of fear in them. They weren't as clear and merciless as Morgana's had been, that was for sure.

Gaius sighed. 'He found the dagger and he suspects you of it, but he does not know for sure, yet.'

'What about my necklace?'

'What necklace?' Lancelot asked quickly.

She looked like she wanted to kick herself.

'What necklace?' Merlin repeated, taking a step closer.

She shot him a venomous look, but stayed mutinously silent.

'Was it important?' he pressed.

'Like I would tell you!' she snapped, eyes flashing dangerously.

'Was it magic?' Gaius asked matter-of-factly. Her silence provided the answer.

'If they find it…' Lancelot's voice trailed off. _She's doomed._

'Is that how you got in?' Gaius questioned her.

She nodded miserably, then finally whispered; 'It was my mother's.'

'She did magic?'

Another nod.

'Is that why you tried to kill him? For vengeance?' Merlin couldn't help asking her.

Her eyes flashed with a deep hatred. 'He murdered my mother and sister…and so many others. He's a cruel, heartless tyrant!'

'That doesn't give you the right to the power over life and death.'

'He deserved it!'

'If you had killed him then you would have become a murderer and as bad as him. Thereafter, someone could say that _you_ deserve death.' His words were sharp, but the intent behind them was kind. Vividly he was remembering the time when he had almost taken the Dragon's advice and let the King die by Morgana's hand. He had had Gwen and Gaius to talk sense into him back then; this girl had no one and he pitied her.

A small tear rose in her eye and she brushed it away quickly, avoiding his gaze. Gaius broke the tense silence, cautioning Merlin with his eyes. 'Did you conjure the vortex with your magic?'

She blinked in surprise. 'No! It just - appeared. Out of nowhere. I thought _he _might have cast it.' Merlin's heart sunk as he realised she remembered his magic.

'When did it appear, exactly?' Lancelot asked with a frown.

'When I was just about to….um…my dagger was barely an inch from…when it…appeared. Before I saw _him_, I assumed it was some kind of protective spell set in place around the King.' She paused, seeing their grim expressions. 'Wasn't it?'

'We don't know,' Gaius answered thoughtfully. 'It protected him from_ you_, at any rate.'

'But it took the King,' Merlin told her, ignoring her scowl.

'Merlin!' Lancelot and Gaius cried together.

'She's going to find out soon anyway!' he replied defensively.

'I don't understand, why would it take him?' the girl asked, addressing Merlin. 'The vortex kept me away from him well enough.' A note of bitterness echoed in her voice.

'For ransom, perhaps?' he shrugged. 'Or maybe they wanted to dispose of him themselves.'

'Or they could be after the throne,' Lancelot suggested. 'If they tortured him enough, do you think he would give it up?'

'No,' Gaius shook his head decisively. 'They won't be able to break him - unless they threaten Arthur, that is.'

'Do you think they'll take Arthur next?' Merlin asked, worried.

'They might. Speaking of Arthur, shouldn't you get him?'

'Oh yeah, right. I'll go now.'

'I'll come with you,' Lancelot volunteered.

'Put away the books first,' Gaius ordered sharply. Merlin quickly did so, ignoring his sudden reluctance to alert Arthur to the girl's awakening. By the time the book of spells was safely beneath his floorboards, Lancelot was waiting impatiently by the door and the girl was sitting up, staring pensively into space. He hesitated beside her, unsure what to say.

'What's your name?' he finally asked.

She looked at him in surprise, before answering hesitantly. 'Lias.'

'I'm Merlin.' He offered his hand, and after a slight hesitation, she shook it. 'Can I ask you to do something for me, Lias? It's important.'

'What is it?' she asked suspiciously, drawing her dark green cloak closer around herself as a breeze blew in through the open window.

'Arthur doesn't know I have magic - no one here does, except for Lancelot and Gaius. Can you promise me to keep it that way?'

'You mean, not tell him?' Merlin nodded, and held his breath as his blue eyes filled with sincere worry. Lias regarded him coolly. 'From one magic-user to another?'

The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile. 'Yes. I won't tell him about you if you don't tell him about me.'

Gratitude showed in her eyes, before she turned away to look at the opposite wall. 'I'll think about it…Merlin.'

Realising he wasn't going to get any more confirmation from her, he nodded and continued over to the door, pausing before he followed Lancelot out. 'Thank you, Lias.' She made no visible response, but as he exited the room he felt the cold pit of worry and fear resting in his stomach ease a little. The last thing he and Lancelot heard before they were out of earshot of Gaius' chambers was the physician giving the nasty orange potion to the girl, and telling her it would do her good. Both Merlin and Lancelot grimaced simultaneously, and neither wanted to be in her place right then. Lancelot didn't speak out loud to him until they were halfway to the council room.

'You can't save her,' he suddenly spoke up. His warm brown eyes, filled with concern, met Merlin's. 'So don't get too attached.'

'What?' Merlin spluttered. 'I'm not - '

'I know you, Merlin,' his friend continued, with a sad smile. 'You try to save everyone, but you can't. She's guilty of two crimes already; treason and magic! There's no room for pardon with those crimes, and you heard her back there, she's not going to deny it.'

'Arthur might give her another chance,' Merlin persisted stubbornly. 'Her death isn't certain.'

'Yes, it is. She knew what she was doing, and she went ahead with it anyway.'

'She's practically still a child!'

Lancelot shook his head. 'That's no excuse. Remember what you told me about Mordred; the King was going to execute him despite his age.'

'But this is Arthur - '

'Uther is still King, and Arthur is unlikely to pardon the girl who tried to kill his father and who could be responsible for his disappearance.'

Merlin didn't reply, as he wrestled with himself. He hated the thought of condemning someone to die, even if they did do wrong. That was one reason why he was a terrible fighter. But he couldn't ignore Lancelot's kindly-meant words, that she was guilty. It wasn't love, or attraction, or anything like that that made him want to fight for Lias' freedom - it was a sense of kinship, one that he found with all other non-evil, simple magic users that were simply trying to achieve a better life for themselves and for others. How could he stand by and let them be punished for something he himself had once considered? He felt Lancelot lay a hand on his shoulder, and he realised they had reached the council room. He took a deep breath and gave his friend a weak smile, answering his unspoken question. Lancelot smiled back, then turned to the guards who dutifully let him through. Merlin followed, eyes immediately searching amongst the crowd inside for Arthur to keep his mind off his former thoughts. It was true that he couldn't save everyone. Freya had died, and Morgana had been corrupted by her magic and her half-sister. It looked like he wasn't going to be able to save Lias either.

* * *

:)


	3. Loyalty

**I'm so so sorry it took so long to get this up :( But I lost the notebook that had the first half of this chapter and all my notes and ideas relating to this story in it two weeks ago and I only found it yesterday, in one of my school classrooms. Odd...**

**I should probably warn you guys; there aren't any set pairings for this story yet. It could be Arthur/Gwen, Gwen/Lancelot, or the lovely Merthur... and honestly at the moment I'm leaning more towards Merthur. I'm sorry if that offends any of you, but I can't really write for a pairing that I don't love. I promise Gwen will appear soon, I feel bad that I've managed to go three chapters without her :P **

**I found a map of Camelot online that really helped me with this chapter, it's on Merlin wiki so I think it's pretty accurate :) heres the link, if anyone's interested for their story: http:/ merlin. wikia .com /wiki / File : Map_Of_Camelot . jpg**

**This chapter hasn't been Beta-ed, so please excuse any mistakes...if theres any major ones, I'll correct them later! I still love reviews, just so you know... ;) wow this is a long A/N.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Merlin, sadly..**

* * *

All For a King

Chapter Three - Loyalty

Arthur looked up as soon as they entered the council chamber. He was talking to his closest advisors, no doubt about the King, but two minutes later they were dismissed and he was practically running with Merlin and Lancelot to Gaius' room.

'How long has she been awake?'

'Only a few minutes, sir,' Lancelot glanced sideways at Merlin. 'We came to you as soon as we could.'

'Has she said anything yet?'

'Her name is Lias,' Merlin answered him, struggling to keep up with the knights. 'Nothing else important.'

Even while running Arthur managed to roll his eyes at Merlin. '_You_ might not think its important. Sir Lancelot?'

'She asked where she was and what she was doing there,' Lancelot said quickly. 'She didn't say whether the dagger was hers or not.'

Arthur nodded curtly as they reached the stairs leading to Gaius' chambers and slowed to a walk. 'Is she well rested enough to speak?'

'I would say so, sire.'

'Good.' Arthur paused for a moment outside Gaius' door, before knocking gently. 'Gaius? It's Arthur…the Prince.'

'No kidding,' Merlin muttered, earning himself a contemptuous look from the Prince.

'Shut up, Merlin.'

'I'm just glad you know who you are, that's all.'

'Idiot.'

'Pra-'

'Come on in,' Gaius opened the door, stepping to the side to allow them in. With another glance backwards at Merlin, Arthur stepped through, nodding to Gaius. Lias twisted around in the bed to see him, and fear flashed momentarily over her face before it was replaced with cold determination.

'My lord,' she said formally, dipping her head in acknowledgement.

'You know why I'm here?' he asked.

'Yes.'

'Let's not beat around the bush then. What were you doing in my father's room, last night?'

She opened her mouth to reply, then paused. 'Before I answer that, there's something you should know.'

He frowned. 'Why can't it wait until after?'

'If I tell you after, there's no guarantee that you'll listen.'

Gaius raised an eyebrow at the way she spoke to the Crown Prince, almost as an equal, but Merlin smiled to himself, knowing that Arthur actually _liked_ it when people spoke to him as if he wasn't Crown Prince of Camelot - he and Gwen were prime examples of that.

Arthur nodded. 'That's fair. Go on.'

'I was not the one to summon the vortex which took the King. I was there when it appeared, but I didn't see whoever did it, and I'm quite sure there was no one else in the room with me at the time.'

'There had to be,' Arthur replied, confused now. 'How else would they have cast it?'

'I have been doing some research, sire,' Gaius interjected, stepping forward, 'and I believe the spell that took your father was a summoning spell, one that can be used over long distances if the sorcerer is powerful enough.'

'I see. Is there a way to track them down?'

'I shall continue to look, sire.'

'Very well.' He turned back to Lias, his piercing blue eyes holding hers. 'So what were you doing in the King's room?'

She held his gaze defiantly. 'I was planning to kill him.'

If her honesty surprised him, he didn't show it. 'Merlin, get the guards.'

Merlin hesitated, but had no choice but to comply. Hating himself, he ran out the door wanting to get the horrible task over with as quickly as possible.

'So the dagger was yours then?' Arthur broke the tense silence, his eyes cold.

'Yes.'

'And what did you hope to gain from his death?'

'A fair, just Kingdom where the people don't live in fear and tyranny; where they can do as they like as long as it doesn't cause other harm; and where they are free from the dark prejudice of a cruel King blinded by hatred and his own fear - '

'Enough!' the Prince cried sharply, his hand twitching towards his sword hilt.

' - instead governed by a wise King who will rule them with love, honour and courage, bringing peace and prosperity to the lands,' she finished, eyes shining triumphantly.

Arthur's expression was unreadable as he stared back at the girl, but his heart was beating furiously. Behind him, Gaius and Lancelot stood and said nothing, waiting for him, Crown Prince and Regent. But no words came to Arthur's mind, none he could say anyway. She spoke treason he knew…but her vision of the future was one he yearned and fought for himself; one that kept him going in the darkest of times. Who wouldn't wish for it, after all? It seemed no different from the future that both Merlin and Gwen believed in so strongly; and yet she was to be condemned to death for it. How was that in any way fair? Just because she had sought to act on it, rather than wait for him to be King…wait for his father to die. He turned his head away, disgusted with himself. _She tried to kill your father! She's guilty of treason! _he reminded himself harshly, and the hand resting on his sword tightened in response. _She's guilty of believing in a better world_, part of him whispered in reply. His expression darkened further, and a bitter look passed over his face. _There's nothing you can do anyway._

At that moment Merlin entered, the guards following close behind him. He nodded to Arthur as the guards bowed their heads dutifully, before coming to stand beside him, gaze fixed on the girl - Lias.

'Take her to the dungeons,' Arthur commanded, sounding calmer than he felt inside. As the guards approached her, he strode towards the door, deliberately not looking back to see the expression on Lancelot and Gaius' faces. 'Merlin!' he called over his shoulder before leaving. If there was anyone he needed to see right now, it was his perpetually cheerful, idiotic, and _very_ rarely wise manservant.

Grimacing at Gaius and Lancelot, Merlin then looked back at Lias before he left. She was trying to restrain any emotion she had, but nevertheless her hands shook slightly as the guards clamped the chains tight around them. His kind heart went out to her. _'I'm sorry,' _he mouthed, guilt filling his blue eyes before he turned on his heel and hurried out after Arthur, unable to look her in the eyes any longer. Lancelot left shortly after, deciding some intense training would be best for clearing his mind. And avoiding her gaze, Gaius turned his back and began to make the tonic for Lord Caberyn. By now he should be used to seeing young and old, guilty and innocent, friend and foe alike taken by Uther's men, but somehow he had never managed to harden his heart as the King had. He didn't doubt that it would have been easier if he had.

* * *

Merlin knew something was wrong with Arthur, just from the way he was walking back and forth across his room. Finally he sat down at his table and tried to concentrate on the disorganized mess of scrolls and papers before him, but scarcely ten minutes later he threw his quill down in frustration and strode to the window where he stayed leaning against the wall, gazing down into the courtyard pensively. Merlin observed his strange behaviour all throughout the afternoon, as Arthur continued to set him increasingly pointless tasks, the majority of them resulting in him staying in the room. When he did have to leave, the Prince demanded that he returned immediately. At last, when Merlin had finished his last task and come to Arthur to ask if he could perhaps go now, and Arthur, after looking around his room almost frantically, pointed at the large closet and ordered with a note of triumph in his voice that Merlin wash the wall _behind_ it, his manservant had had enough. That closet hadn't been moved in all of Merlin's time at Camelot, and probably even before then.

'What - No!' he cried, and froze as his master's gaze turned upon him, an eyebrow raised.

'No? Are you disobeying your orders, _Mer_lin?'

'No! - well yes, but - I mean - um - Arthur, what's wrong?' he finally demanded, glaring at his master. 'Since when did you care about walls behind closets?'

'Since they became so filthy, that's when!' Arthur retorted, glaring back at Merlin. 'Haven't you seen the state of them?' He gestured wildly in that direction, not quite sure himself why he cared so much.

'No, because the closet's _covering_ them!' Merlin replied, exasperated. 'You won't even _see_ the wall when it's clean!'

'That's no excuse to let things get dirty!' Arthur insisted. 'Stop questioning my orders and get on with it, Merlin!'

'They're getting ridiculous!' Merlin yelled, losing his temper. 'Over the past few hours I've washed every shirt in your closet, cleared out every cupboard in your room, checked all your boots for holes, cleaned every piece of armour you possess, sharpened all your throwing knives, polished your five best swords and washed every window in this room, _inside and out!_ It would be a lot easier if you just _said_ you wanted my company, Arthur!' He broke off, breathing hard and too tired and angry to care about crossing lines between master and servant. _Prince _and servant.

Arthur regarded him coolly for a few moments longer, eyes narrowed, before breaking into an amused smirk. 'Yes, I suppose it would have been. But it wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining watching you struggle not to say anything. I was wondering when you'd snap.'

Merlin glared at him, but some part of his mind registered that Arthur hadn't denied wanting him around. Unfortunately he could never stay mad at Arthur for long, so he smiled reluctantly, letting go of his anger. 'So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?'

Arthur pretended to consider, then shook his head, a smirk still planted on his lips. 'No, I don't think so. You can go now Merlin; it's late.'

Merlin looked at him in disbelief. 'After all that, you can't just tell me to go.'

'I think you'll find that I can,' Arthur replied, his tone slightly sharper. He crossed over to the screen and began to undress for bed behind it. 'I give the orders, not you.'

Merlin groaned and rolled his eyes. 'Would it kill you not to bring your social superiority into _everything? _Just because you're next in line to the throne doesn't mean you're always right.'

Arthur froze, as Merlin's carelessly spoken words shattered the wall he'd been building up, and suddenly his fears of not being the good, wise King that Camelot deserved, and that they all hoped for, shot to the surface again. Abruptly the Prince exited from the screen and climbed into bed, not once looking in Merlin's direction. 'Get the candles.'

Merlin inwardly cursed himself, and quickly ran over his last words_. Stupid, bumbling, clumsy idiot… _What had he said _this_ time? Nervously taking a step closer to the Prince, he gathered his courage to speak again. Arthur was facing away from him stubbornly, and his sword was much too close to him for comfort. 'Arthur, I'm sorry.' He winced; apologizing to Arthur was always hard. 'I didn't mean to make you angry again…or hurt you…but in my defence…you're being a prat.'

Arthur sat up and whirled around, glaring at Merlin. 'You're _apologizing_ by calling me a _prat_? Really Merlin, could you be _any_ more of an idiot?'

Merlin grinned back at him. 'Evidently not.'

Arthur sighed, and unable to resist, threw a pillow at Merlin. His servant ducked too late, earning a laugh from the Prince. He grinned in reply, happy that Arthur was in good spirits again even if it meant more bruises for him.

'If I wasn't such an idiot, you'd be bored of me by now,' Merlin added cheekily, ducking behind the screen to pick up Arthur's discarded clothes.

'Since when you did become so bold, _Mer_lin?' Arthur challenged, smiling.

His servant shrugged as he closed the wardrobe doors carefully over the now folded clothes. 'Perhaps I've always been, sire,' he said evasively.

Arthur sighed and fell back into his bed. 'Get my pillow, Merlin.' He lay on his back, frowning at the ceiling as Merlin carefully plumped up the pillow and set it beside him.

'We'll find him,' Merlin suddenly said, and Arthur looked over to see his bright blue eyes gazing steadfastly into his own. The determination and complete conviction in them surprised him. He was suddenly reminded of that strange night nearly three years ago; after he'd recovered from being attacked and nearly killed by the Questing Beast Merlin had come into his room, called him a prat, and told him he would be a great King one day. There had been something in his eyes then; that something that Arthur could never put his finger on, and here it was again.

'How do you know?' he asked quietly, knowing that Merlin spoke of the King.

'I just do,' his servant replied, stepping away from the bed to gently blow out the candles by the window. He moved around the rest of the room, putting out the rest. 'I believe in you - and us. We'll find a way to him.' He paused to give Arthur a cheeky, encouraging smile that made Arthur's heart beat strangely faster, before blowing out the last candle by his bedside. 'We always do.'

* * *

'Greetings, young warlock,' Kilgharrah said formally, bowing his head submissively as his wings settled against his sides. 'What has befallen Camelot?'

'How did you know something's wrong?' Merlin asked in surprise, caught off guard.

'Like you Merlin, I felt the strong magic pass over Camelot and its neighbouring realms last night. It called to me as it calls to you.'

Merlin nodded. 'It took Uther.'

'A spell of summoning?' The Great Dragon shook his head gravely. 'That is strong magic indeed…it has been a long time since there has been anyone strong or foolhardy enough to attempt it in Camelot.'

'Do you know of it?'

'Young warlock, I know a great deal of things. I have used it myself, though rarely. Why do you seek my help tonight?'

'I wanted to ask if you knew who took him.' The Dragon said nothing, only looked at him with his piercing gold eyes. 'Well? Do you?'

Kilgharrah sighed. 'It would be better for all concerned if you forgot them.'

Merlin frowned. 'Why? Who are they? I don't want to have to make you tell me, Kilgharrah.'

His eyes narrowed. 'I thought we were past threatening each other, Merlin.'

'I'm sorry,' Merlin said sincerely. 'But I have to know - we have to get him back. Arthur would never forgive himself if he didn't find his father. I know him, Kilgharrah - he'll never give up.'

The Dragon looked at him carefully before replying. 'You speak the truth about the once and future King, and so I will tell you. But be warned; those who I speak of will be a dangerous enemy, and your task will not be a simple one.'

Merlin laughed with more than a trace of bitterness. 'When is it ever?'

'Do not belittle your destiny Merlin; for it is truly a great one.'

Merlin sighed and sat down on the grass before Kilgharrah. 'You wouldn't believe how much work Arthur made me do today.'

The Great Dragon chuckled softly. 'You will get your reward one day, Merlin. When Albion is born, then you shall know that all of this has been worth it.'

The Dragonlord smiled half-heartedly at his friend and ally. 'I hope so.'

The Dragon dipped his head in agreement, before clearing his throat and continuing in his deep voice. 'Those who you wish to know of live far beyond the borders of Camelot; across the Sea of Ihaen on the Island of Nirris.'

Merlin shook his head doubtfully. 'I've never heard of it.'

'I wouldn't expect you to, young warlock. They have been long forgotten by the people of Albion, and few alive today remember them. Only a learned few in Camelot would know of them, such as the Physician.'

'Gaius?' Kilgharrah nodded. 'But - wait, you haven't told me who they are yet.'

He sighed. 'They are called the Náruin.'

'The Náruin?' Merlin repeated, stumbling over the unfamiliar word.

'Yes.'

'Are they sorcerers?'

'They practice magic; yes.'

'Are they trying to get revenge on Uther then? For killing them during the Great Purge?'

'No. By the time of the Great Purge, the Náruin's time had been and gone.'

'I don't understand. Why would they take him, then?'

'I do not know their motives, only that they have no quarrel with Camelot, or any of the other kingdoms. You see, what the Náruin search for and prize above all else is knowledge; not riches or land. I don't imagine they are pleased with Uther for banning magic in Camelot and killing so many of their kind, but they did not concern themselves with it twenty years ago and I doubt they would do so now.'

Merlin thought this over, before speaking again. 'Tell me more about them, Kilgharrah - please.'

'Since you asked so nicely,' Kilgharrah replied, amusement evident in his gold eyes. He lay down on the ground, placing one long foreleg over the other. 'This will be a long story Merlin, so you'd better make yourself comfortable.' Hesitating momentarily, the Dragonlord moved over to sit with his back resting against the dragon's foreleg, only inches away from his sharp claws but the thought of the dragon deliberately hurting him never even crossed his mind. Kilgharrah cleared his throat again, and then began his narrative:

'The Náruin were, and still are a powerful organisation of magic-users of all kinds, male or female, human or otherwise, united in the quest for knowledge, vision and understanding. Many sorcerers and warlocks came to them to learn, including, at one point, Cornelius Sigan himself. At one time it was even the focal point of the Old Religion, before the Isle of the Blessed. It opened its doors to all, and paid no allegiance to any certain kingdom. Often the poor folk living along the shore would come to them for advice, a cure, or even food. Their enemies were few and far between and often the nearby kingdoms would provide them with food and supplies to last the harsh winter months when no one dared go out on the Sea.

'It had been in place for almost four centuries when the leaders made a terrible mistake; one that ultimately led to their downfall. They thought to explore and study the bond between Dragonlord and Dragon, so they asked one of the Dragonlords residing with them to summon a dragon for them. He too wished to know more of his powers, and so did as they asked. When the dragon - Ruáthgar, he was called - arrived, the trap was ready. By the Dragonlord's command, he was imprisoned deep within the caves of the island, unable to see the sky or breathe in the fresh air.' Here Kilgharrah paused, and from the pained expression on his face, Merlin guessed he was thinking of his time in the caves of Camelot. Shaking his head slightly to clear it of unwanted thoughts he continued, a hint of anger echoing in his voice. 'When the dragons discovered that one of their own was locked up in a cave, unable to see the light of day and being subjected to experiments like a dumb animal, they were beyond furious. With the wrath of a thousand volcanoes, they descended on the island of Nirris destroying all in their path, innocent or otherwise. I was there fighting for my kin that day; and even the savage wars waged by Uther Pendragon on his bloody journey to peace could not compare to it. The small town and port were destroyed, the forest set alight, and the centre of learning, the great Citadel of Aólis, was demolished and burned to the ground. The Traitor Dragonlord was found and killed; stripped of his powers and burnt to a crisp by a dozen dragons' tongues, and with his death Ruáthgar was set free for it was only the former Dragonlord's words that had kept him bound. The people and elders of the Náruin fled, but few survived. We dragons showed no mercy.' Fire flashed in his eyes, as the story came to life in his mind. 'At the end of that day the Dragons retreated, victorious and now feared by many, and turned their backs on the island.

'Half a century passed before anyone dared set foot on the island again, but finally a brave group of young sorcerers did so and found that many of the old books and scrolls had survived, stored beneath the earth in the caves. Gradually the Náruin built itself up again, but it was never as powerful, nor as popular as before. The people feared another attack from the dragons, and associated it with greed and evil from stories told by the Dragonlords. As a result, an elite Order was set up comprising of twelve sorcerers who held power over everyone else. They made sure that nothing like the Winged Massacre, as it was called, ever happened again. They sought peace with the dragons and at last we came to an understanding, only a few decades before the King began his brutal rampage against magic.

'By the time of the Great Purge the Náruin had been largely forgotten by all, and as the Isle of Nirris did not lie within the borders of Camelot, Uther did not bother to eradicate them. However, any of their supporters, or known members who ventured into Camelot were immediately sentenced to death. Now, out of the hundreds of eager scholars that once crowded their halls only seven lords remain on Nirris. For fifteen years, not one of the Last Seven have left the island. It has become their prison as well as their home.'

The Dragon finished his tale and sat quietly, waiting for the young Dragonlord to speak. Several minutes passed as he absorbed this new information, and the Dragon watched curiously as several emotions flitted across his face. The small boy with so great a destiny never ceased to fascinate him.

Of course, the first thing that Merlin said was another question. 'These seven lords; they were the voices I heard after the vortex, weren't they?'

'I would assume so, as they were the ones to cast it. What did they say to you?'

Briefly, Merlin recounted everything that had happened the night before starting and ending with the voices. 'I don't know what to make of it,' he finished gloomily, and looked up to see that even the Great Dragon himself was surprised by the events of the previous night.

'It is strange that they would choose to save the Tyrant King's life, but they would not have done it unless it benefited them in some way. You must be careful Merlin - to retrieve the King they will undoubtedly exact a price.'

Resignation filled the warlock's voice. 'I must go to them then.'

'Yes. It is your destiny.'

'I'll leave as soon as I can, Arthur may not even notice - '

'You must not go alone, Merlin.'

Now it was Merlin's turn to look surprised. 'Why not?'

'In order to succeed, you will need the strength of the Round Table around you. And as you said, Arthur would never forgive himself if he did not help to find his father.'

'But…what about Gaius? If it's as far as you say, he won't be able to make the journey.'

The Dragon laughed lightly. 'I am not suggesting that the entire Round Table needs to accompany you. After all, Camelot _must not _fall in your absence. Choose well who joins you on your dangerous quest, and who is to stay behind to guard the kingdom, for your life will lie in their hands, should the worst occur.'

The names of those who would go with him came to mind immediately, clear and confident. 'Arthur, Gwaine, Lancelot and I will go,' he told the Dragon. 'Gaius, Percival, Leon, Elyan and Gwen will stay in Camelot.' Then he sighed. 'Gwen won't be happy with that.'

'Then allow her to go with you,' the Dragon replied, clearly amused. 'You should not underestimate the power the Once and Future Queen has.'

'Arthur won't let her go. He's too stubborn.'

'Once again this is your quest, not his, Merlin. The Náruin spoke to you and only you. They would not do so unless you were of some value to them.'

'What if I have to do magic before them?' Merlin worried, rising from his seat to pace back and forth before the Dragon. 'What if they call me Emrys? I think Gwaine already suspects something from what the dwarf - Grettir - said about "Courage, Strength and Magic" but if Arthur finds out….'

'Would you sacrifice the King and ignore the call of your own kind for fear of your magic being revealed?' Kilgharrah asked, fixing him with a cold stare. 'I care nothing for the tyrant; I would gladly see his reign of blood and terror at an end were it not for the pain and sorrow that the future king of Albion, and hence you, would feel. If you go ahead with this many tests and dangers will await you; but rewards also.'

Merlin was quiet again. He knew what he had to do; had known it since the terrible moment when he'd been too late to save the King; but that didn't make it any easier. He had risked his secret for his destiny before, and he would risk it again - for Arthur's sake. Raising his head, he met the Dragon's gold eyes with his own. 'Where can I find them?'

A smile, and what looked suspiciously like pride glittered in the Dragon's eyes. 'West and south; you must cross the White Mountains and travel past the Valley of the Fallen Kings and the Isle of the Blessed, until you reach the Great Seas of Meredor. Once there, journey along its west coast away from the Labyrinth of Gedref, until you reach land's end and the Sea of Ihaen. From that southernmost point, the Isle of Nirris is just visible. You will need to borrow or make a boat if you wish to cross, and it must be strong. Ihaen is the most volatile, and angry out of all the Seas of Meredor.'

'That doesn't sound…unmanageable,' Merlin said**, **trying to remember if the Sea of Ihaen had been marked on any of Arthur's - for the most part useless - maps.

'It will take you at least a fortnight.'

Considering that the majority of Camelot took only a day or so to reach on horseback, this came as a shock to Merlin. 'A_ fortnight!_'

'Did I not say it would be difficult, Merlin?'

'Arthur won't be pleased.'

'From what you tell me of him, I sometimes wonder if he ever is,' the Dragon replied dryly.

'He's usually too busy being a prat to be pleased.'

'Someday you'll have to explain to me what that word '_prat_' means, exactly.' The Dragon lifted his head to the sky, his smile fading. 'But light approaches swiftly, and you must be on your way back to Camelot. I too must go, while the night is still my friend.'

'Yes, Arthur will be looking for me soon,' Merlin replied, glancing back towards the great castle. He looked back at Kilgharrah, who was watching him with an unreadable expression. 'Thank you,' he said simply.

The Great Dragon inclined his head in reply. 'Your destiny awaits you.' Flashing him a quick grin, Merlin turned to leave, but as he reached the border of the trees the Dragon's ancient voice rang out once more from behind him. 'If you have need of me Merlin, do not hesitate to call. I will remain close by, ready to aid you.'

Stunned by the Dragon's loyalty, Merlin only nodded and smiled awkwardly, thoughts of the Prince and their approaching quest filling his mind. He raised a hand in farewell before hurrying from the clearing.

Kilgharrah looked thoughtfully after him for a few moments longer, before pushing off from the ground and spreading his majestic wings. _'Good luck, Merlin,' _he thought aloud to them both as he disappeared into the darkness of Albion's night sky.


	4. Words of Promise

**Hey guys... again, I'm sorry this chapter took so long. Past papers, coursework (the bane of my existence) and my other story all got in the way, but it's finally done! (the chapter I mean, not the story - things have to get a lot messier first ;) )**

**Also, this story will be slash. I'm sorry, but I just can't write it any other way :-/ I know some of you won't want to read this anymore, but I'd really appreciate it if you didn't leave negative reviews behind. They don't persuade me to change pairings; they just make me miserable and uninspired for a few weeks...**

**One necessary review reply to someone who didn't sign in; and then the next chapter is underway! :) Thanks so much to everyone who's read, reviewed, faved and story-alerted so far!**

**Mark:** I don't think it's really fair to say that slash ruins a story - I mean sure there are poor slash stories, but there also poorly written canon ones. And on this site, I've read some really good, well-written Merlin/Arthur stories. So I'm sorry if you don't like the pairing and understand if you don't want to read this story anymore but please don't dismiss all stories of a certain pairing as rubbish. Thanks for saying it was a perfectly good story and taking the time to review anyway :)

* * *

Chapter Four - Words of Promise

'I don't know…it just doesn't feel the same.'

'Shut up, Merlin.'

'I thought we were all meant to be equal, that means we're allowed to _talk_-'

_'Merlin!'_

Gwaine chuckled out loud at the grin spreading over Merlin's face as Arthur glared at him, and the others suppressed their smirks.

'He's right, Arthur,' the knight said, still smiling. 'We're all equal around here, even if we do have to use a rectangular table instead of a round one.'

Arthur gritted his teeth. 'Can we get back to the meeting now?'

'I think you should apologize to Merlin,' Gwaine continued relentlessly, ignoring the warning looks and muffled laughter from the other knights. Even Gaius couldn't hold back a smile at Arthur's face.

He stared at Gwaine incredulously, looking as if his own ears had betrayed him. '_Apologize?__'_

Gwen and Lancelot were outright laughing by now; Merlin's grin had stretched impossibly wide; Sir Leon was looking faintly shocked and at the same time very amused at the situation but somehow Gwaine was now keeping a straight face as he held Arthur's gaze. 'Yeah, you heard me right. Telling people to shut up when they're right ain't nice y'know.' He shook his head reproachfully at the prince now gaping at him in sheer disbelief.

The thought of apologizing to Merlin was just plain…_weird. _Foreign. Odd. Unthinkable. Especially when Merlin so obviously _loved_ the idea.

'Unless of course, you're going back on what you said at the Round Table?' Gwaine spoke up again dragging Arthur from his confused thoughts, his grin mocking but with no true malicious intent.

'I don't think it's the same either,' Elyan joined in. 'None of us knew where to sit when we were summoned here today; and I don't know about Gaius but I feel quite insignificant down at the other end of this table.' Gaius, who was sitting across from him nodded in agreement as did Percival on the other side of the physician. Leon shifted uncomfortably, looking guiltily at the others from his seat at Arthur's right.

Arthur sighed. 'Fine, next time we'll find a Round Table or just sit in a circle. Now can we get on with the meeting?'

'You still need to-' Gwaine began, but a swift kick from Lancelot shut him up. He grimaced at the knight sitting opposite him but Lancelot just looked pointedly back at Arthur.

'Leon, what news?'

The knight rose up from his seat. 'We've searched everywhere my lord, and there's been no sign of him. Not in the citadel, nor the Lower Town. The riders returned a few hours ago; he hasn't been found in any of the outlying villages either. There are still some searching the forests and mountains and more soldiers rode out to the borders this morning.' He hesitated before saying; 'My lord, I honestly doubt that the King is still in Camelot.'

'Hey! Equals, remember?' Gwaine interrupted loudly.

'Yes, thank you Gwaine,' Arthur replied, rolling his eyes. 'Leon, you must call me Arthur while we're around this table.' The knight nodded, hiding his smile at Gwaine's obvious delight. 'I think you are right. Whoever stole him is probably on their way out of Camelot by now but even so, we're only assuming that. We must keep on looking for him; after all, perhaps they thought themselves clever enough to hide him right under our noses.'

'Yes m- Arthur,' Leon sat back down.

Arthur turned to Gaius. 'Gaius; have you found anything yet?'

'Indeed I have, sire,' the old physician declared rising from his seat. 'I have been researching the old legends and myths as you asked me to.'

'Do you know who took my father?' Arthur leaned forward eagerly.

Gaius' eyes flickered towards Merlin before he answered. 'Yes, I do. I believe he was taken by a group of powerful magic-users, called the _Náruin._'

Blank looks greeted him.

'The…Náruin?' Arthur asked uncertainly. He glanced at Merlin as if for confirmation.

'I'm not surprised you haven't heard of them; their time has come and gone,' Gaius went on, sounding for all the world as if he had found the Náruin in one of his various books or papers. He and Merlin had decided that Arthur would be more likely to believe them if it was Gaius who said he'd discovered them. 'They were once a powerful organization who sought knowledge, not power and lived peacefully under their own rule. They were allied to none but themselves and were well respected by many.'

'Were?' Elyan asked curiously.

'They picked a fight with the dragons, who then took revenge,' Merlin explained. 'The people didn't trust them after that, and stayed away.'

'I'm surprised Uther didn't kill them all,' Lancelot mused.

'They do not reside in Camelot,' Gaius replied solemnly. 'If they did, he would have. As it were, any who dared venture into Camelot were found out and executed immediately. He feared their power too much to seek them out.'

Arthur raised his eyebrows. 'If they could scare _Father, _they must be a force to be reckoned with.'

Gaius nodded gravely. 'They are, but their power has weakened over the years as their numbers have dwindled. Only Seven of the Twelve Lords remain, and I regret to say it is because of the Great Purge that the five empty places have not yet been filled.'

'Is that why they took the King?' Gwen asked fearfully. 'For revenge?'

Gaius hesitated and exchanged a quick look with Merlin before choosing his words carefully. 'I do not know for sure; but the Náruin have never done anything that doesn't benefit them in some way. They will have been planning this carefully, and the time of his summoning cannot have been a coincidence.'

'So they meant to save his life?' Elyan asked, frowning.

'It can't be revenge then,' Gwen decided.

Arthur shook his head slowly. 'Why would they save his life only to steal him away again?'

'Ransom?' Leon suggested.

'Or, perhaps that was the only way they knew how to save him?' Merlin flinched as all eyes suddenly turned to him. 'Maybe - maybe they didn't mean to steal him away or summon him - maybe they had another, better plan all worked out but when they saw the King was about to be killed, they did the only thing they could to save him. They removed him from Camelot and brought him to their island; the Isle of Nirris.' Glancing around, he could see that the others were actually listening to him so he pressed on, getting more confident as he continued. 'The spell is so powerful it could have drained them and they can't send him back. Not for a while anyway. So now they're waiting for us to come and rescue him!' Gaius and Lancelot nodded in approval, but Arthur just looked amused and a little confused.

'How do _you_ know so much, Merlin?'

'Lucky guess,' he replied with a quick smile.

'Wait - the Isle of what?' Gwaine interrupted, looking interested. 'I've never heard of it.'

'Of course you haven't; there isn't a tavern there,' Merlin remarked, earning himself a grin and a friendly punch on the arm.

Gaius cleared his throat. 'Merlin, the map.'

'The what? - oh the map, right.' Fumbling under his seat, Merlin withdrew a tightly rolled up scroll and standing up, spread it out on the table before them to reveal a rather crudely drawn map. Arthur, Leon, Lancelot and Gwaine had no problem looking at it, but the others had to crane their necks and stand up if they wanted to see it.

'This is the best map you have?' Arthur asked, looking at Merlin sceptically.

Ok, so maybe he wasn't the best artist. Merlin had to admit that to himself. But there were no other maps in Gaius' extensive library that showed the whole way from Camelot to the Ihaen Sea, or that followed the Great Dragon's instructions faithfully. All the same, Merlin suddenly wished he'd used magic to make the map.

'The Náruin inhabit the Isle of Nirris, here in the Ihaen Sea,' Merlin continued, ignoring Arthur's comment. 'It will take us at least a fortnight to get there from Camelot and it will involve us passing through King Alined's kingdom. He won't be friendly; he's still annoyed about his plan for war going wrong.'

'A _fortnight!_' Arthur exclaimed. 'We don't have that long! Who knows what those sorcerers will do to him?'

'Who says they're going to do anything?' Merlin retorted, taking no notice of Gaius' warning look. 'We already said that they saved his life; just because they're sorcerers it doesn't mean they're going to harm him!'

'And what do _you _know about sorcerers, Merlin?'

'That's irrelevant.'

'No, I think it's _very_ relevant. You've been in Camelot for over three years now, and how many sorcerers have you seen trying to destroy both my family and the kingdom in that time?'

'About as many innocent people as I've seen die,' Merlin replied quietly, keeping his gaze trained on the table while anger hardened his voice.

Arthur, suddenly furious, opened his mouth to respond but before he could Leon was by his side, putting a steady hand on his shoulder. In a flash Gwaine was up as well and standing between Arthur and Merlin. 'Arthur, calm yourself,' Leon instructed calmly. 'Fighting won't do either of you any good - what we need most of all is to work together right now to find a solution. We can't do that if we keep turning on each other.'

'Leon's right,' Gwaine nodded, serious for once. 'So how do we get to the King and these magic people again?'

Trying to rein in the anger he so rarely let out, Merlin once again began to explain the route they would be taking from Camelot to the Sea of Ihaen to the others, but he hardly heard the words he was saying. He _knew_ he shouldn't have said about the innocent people dying; had known it was a difficult topic for Arthur; had seen immediately that he'd taken one step too far from the look on Arthur's face. Gaius would be angry with him and the prince would either give him a giant load of chores to do, or just plain ignore him. Honestly, he wasn't sure which was worse. He could feel both Gwaine and Arthur's eyes on him, making him even more nervous as he rushed, tripped and stumbled through the journey. When he was finished and sat down again silence fell around the table.

Arthur rose from his seat. 'Now that we know where my father is being held, I see no reason to delay. Who will join me on this quest?'

'I will accompany you gladly, sir,' Leon was the first to speak, rising also.

'And I.' Lancelot followed, nodding to Arthur.

'I won't miss a good fight,' Gwaine said, smiling at the others cheerfully.

'I'm coming,' Merlin said quickly, standing up. There was no chance of him being left behind this time.

'What help will _you_ be?' Arthur asked disdainfully.

'I know more about the Náruin that any of you, and I know the way better,' Merlin replied, ignoring the hurt caused by Arthur's cruel comment. He was still angry and resentful; he didn't really mean that. 'It's not like you have a choice anyway - I'm going whether you want me to or not.'

Arthur rolled his eyes. 'Why am I not surprised?' Merlin grinned at the sight of the reluctant smile growing on the prince's face - perhaps his chores wouldn't last the entire night.

Elyan, Percival and Gwen had already risen by this point, but then Gaius spoke up. 'Sire, I would go too but I advise you to not take all of your most trusted men with you on this mission. Camelot will be at its most vulnerable with you gone, and some must be left behind to guard the fortress and its people. Should you fail-'

'We will not fail, Gaius.'

'I admire your conviction, but nevertheless you must consider all possibilities if you wish the kingdom to be safe. If you do fall, who would you want to take over in your stead?'

Arthur's determined gaze faltered, then resumed as it swept around the straight Table, appraising each and everyone of them. His eyes went to Merlin several times but finally he turned to Leon, decision made. 'Sir Leon, out of all my knights I have known and respected you the longest, as my comrade-in-arms and my friend. You know these walls better than anyone else in the kingdom excepting my father, myself and Gaius. I would value you by my side while we rescue my father, but in this event I feel your place is in Camelot, and you time would better spent there. So while I am gone, I am entrusting the care of the kingdom to you.'

Leon's expression was a mixture of awe and acceptance, as he bowed his head to his prince humbly. 'I understand my lord, and although I am sorry not to have the honour of fighting alongside you once more, I am even more honoured to guard the heart of the kingdom itself. You need not fear for Camelot's safety; as long as I am still standing and there is blood running in my veins I will not let it fall!'

Arthur smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, though his voice remained serious. 'I don't doubt it, Leon.'

'I will stay too,' Percival volunteered. 'Camelot is my home now, and I would feel uneasy were I to leave it in the hands of any other.'

Gwaine was the next to speak. 'As much as the idea of staying home appeals to me, I don't think I'd be much use to you here. I'd be much more useful fighting beasties and pheasants along the journey, and protecting Merlin here.' He winked at his friend.

'I don't need protecting,' Merlin muttered half-seriously, giving Gwaine a little shove. 'I'm much more likely to be protecting _you._'

'We'll see about that,' Gwaine smirked.

'All right then,' Arthur said. 'So Gwaine and Merlin will come - and Lancelot too, you're our best fighter - after me, that is.'

'_Prat.'_

'Shut up, Merlin.'

'Elyan, I think it might be best if you were to stay,' Leon quickly interrupted, trying to keep the conversation serious. 'We'll need you here, and that way each party will have three knights of the Round Table.'

Elyan looked disappointed, but nodded. 'I'll miss the adventure, but I suppose you're right,' he said ruefully, glancing at Gwen. 'At least I can protect Gwen while I'm here.'

'No you can't,' Gwen said determinedly. 'Because I'm going with them.'

'No you're not,' Arthur replied immediately.

'It's too dangerous,' Lancelot protested, looking worried.

'I can take care of myself,' she retorted. 'I'm not going to stay behind and do nothing! Do have any idea how awful that feels?'

'You can help the knights here,' Arthur gestured at the rest of them stubbornly.

'They'll have enough helpers. You need me more!'

'Guinevere, I can't let you go,' Arthur said, anger creeping through. 'How do you think I would feel if I lost you on the way, or when we get to the island?'

'How would I feel if you were hurt and I wasn't there to look after you?' she retaliated.

'Don't worry about me; I'll be fine. And besides, I'll have Merlin to look after me. Right?' Arthur turned to smile at his manservant, but it faded to a frown as Merlin didn't respond. 'Uh - Merlin?' he prompted.

Merlin, remembering what the Great Dragon had said and dreading Arthur's reaction to his words, replied tentatively; 'I think if Gwen wants to go, she should go.'

Both Gwen and Arthur's eyes widened, the former looking delighted while the latter disbelieving.

'Thank you, Merlin!' Gwen grinned at him, holding back her excited squeal with no small effort.

'_Mer_lin!' Arthur growled, glaring at him.

'What?' Merlin shrugged, trying not to enjoy Arthur's surprise. 'We all got a choice; she should have one too.'

'Gwen-' Elyan began.

'No, Elyan,' she interrupted him. 'I'm going, and none of you can stop me so don't waste your breath trying.'

Both Arthur and Lancelot sighed, Lancelot looking defeated while Arthur glaring daggers at Merlin.

'When will you go?' Percival asked.

'As soon as possible,' Arthur said, resuming his control. 'This afternoon, if we can. There's no use waiting for night to fall; the people will see us anyway. Merlin, prepare the horses and supplies. Don't let any of the other servants know where we're going.'

'Great,' Merlin grumbled. 'So I have to do it all by myself…'

'It's your job, isn't it?' Arthur smirked.

'I'll help,' Gwaine volunteered, looking almost smugly at Arthur.

'I will too,' Gwen said, smiling gratefully at Merlin.

Arthur rolled his eyes, again. 'Fine. You three go and prepare. Gaius, is there anything more you need to tell us about the Náruin or the route?'

'Yes, sire. If you look here - '

Gwaine shot Merlin a desperate look, which he just had time to pass on to Gwen before the knight grabbed him and pulled him out the door, ignoring the annoyed faces of the others. Once out, Gwaine let go of Merlin and sank back against the wall, grinning widely at Gwen and Merlin's questioning looks. 'Sorry mate, I just couldn't face another of Gaius' long speeches. I tell you; if Arthur's training routine doesn't kill me those speeches will.' And Merlin couldn't help but smile at his infectious laughter. Soon both and he Gwen joined in, secretly relieved they'd succeeded in escaping from the long lectures that always took place in the council chambers. Finally sobering up, Gwen gently reminded them of the matter at hand.

'Ah, yes. I'll gather the armour, and start with the horses,' Gwaine decided.

'And Gwen and I will pack up the food and cooking stuff, then meet you in the courtyard,' Merlin concluded. 'We'll sort out the horses together, then I can go and pack for Arthur while you two get yourselves ready.'

Gwaine nodded, and set off towards the stables. Merlin and Gwen started half-walking, half-running towards the kitchens, a sense of urgency driving them on.

'Thank you again, for speaking up for me back there,' Gwen suddenly said, and began to babble. 'It was really sweet of you to do that, especially when the others were being so stubborn and I know we haven't seen a lot of each other lately but - '

'Gwen!' Merlin interrupted, laughing. 'It's fine, honestly. I could see how much you wanted to go; and I doubt they could have stopped you anyway even if I hadn't been there.'

'I suppose,' she admitted sheepishly. 'But I still really appreciate -'

'I know,' he smiled at her, taking her hand and squeezing it briefly. 'You don't need to thank me; it's what any friend would do. And you were my first friend in Camelot, remember? I haven't forgotten that.'

'Me neither. It doesn't feel like it's been three, almost_ four_ years since we met, does it? So much has changed since then…'

'This hasn't,' Merlin reminded her. 'Us being best friends, I mean.'

'No,' she agreed. 'It hasn't.' They reached the kitchen door and passed through, ignoring the dirty looks the cook gave them. 'And to think,' Gwen laughed suddenly as she began to fill her bag with bread and herbs; 'We might never have properly met if you hadn't called Arthur an ass!'

* * *

'Right, I think that's them packed up,' Gwaine decided, patting the horses fondly. Like the other knights he'd changed into his armour, but although they'd had to take more extra clothes than usual because of the length of the journey, nothing bearing the crest of Camelot had been packed. Thankfully Cenred's kingdom was now safely under Camelot's control, but the kingdoms they would be passing through and by now wouldn't be particularly friendly either.

'Not bad,' Arthur said, checking his own saddle bags. 'I think you remembered _almost _everything, Merlin.'

'Almost?' Merlin asked apprehensively.

'I need my gloves, and my bedroll,' Arthur instructed, tightening the girth of his horse as he always did after Merlin had tacked him up. Merlin was sure he did it just to annoy him. 'You can return this shirt and replace it with another one as well,' the Prince added, tossing one of the few shirts Merlin had packed back to him. 'Looks like you haven't been paying attention to the state of my clothes again.'

Locating the moth-made hole in the shirt, Merlin decided to wait to tell his master about that rat-made hole in his second-best boots he hadn't mended yet until _after_ they got back. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't find a spell that worked just right, or that Gaius kept getting suspicious and walking in when he was trying to concentrate. Mumbling a quick 'Yes sire', he dashed back into the castle, passing Percival and Leon on the way. Gaius and Elyan were already down in the courtyard, and Gwen had said she'd be there soon.

It didn't take him long to find the gloves and bedroll and then replace the shirt. Looking around on his way out, he saw one of the important cupboard doors hanging open and just his luck; the key was downstairs with Arthur. Merlin sighed, though inwardly he was delighted to have an excuse to use his magic. So glancing around, he quickly murmured; '_Fyrbendum faest!_' His eyes flashed gold as the door snapped shut, the bolt sliding across. Satisfied with his work, he exited the Prince's room trying not to think about when he would see that familiar place again.

The corridors were eerily silent as he hurried clumsily through the castle, almost tripping at the bottom of the stairs. But as he righted himself and picked up the cumbersome bedroll, a pair of hushed voices in the deathly silent halls caught his attention. Merlin _knew_ he shouldn't eavesdrop, but as he'd reasoned to himself so many times it was all for the good of the kingdom, wasn't it? Besides, from the sound of it the voices were coming from the little passage to the left that he himself was going through and honestly, wasn't this his home too? Edging closer, he suddenly recognized the voices and grinned to himself. Nothing to worry about; no enemies of Camelot, just his friends.

Rounding the corner, his happy smile faded and a sick feeling instantly hit him. It curled up in a pit in the bottom of his stomach and seemed content to stay there as he was confronted with the sight of Lancelot, one of his best friends down on one knee before his other best friend, Gwen. _No no no no_, his mind babbled incoherently. _Arthur - Guinevere - how could he…_

'I swear on my honour as a Knight that you shall come to no harm on this voyage, my Lady,' Lancelot vowed seriously, raising her hand to his lips. He gazed into her deep brown eyes with his own, as if mesmerized. 'I will not let anything happen to you.'

'Thank you, Lancelot,' Gwen said quietly, eyes shining with what looked like tears. 'I know I can always rely on you, if need be.'

Unable to stay silent any longer, Merlin cleared his throat and both heads immediately snapped around. Gwen gave a startled gasp and stepped back, pulling her hands from Lancelot's as he too shot upright. If her dark skin hadn't hid it so well, Gwen would have been blushing deep red while Lancelot looked equally ashamed and embarrassed, but a hint of defiance showed in his stance.

'Are you going down to the courtyard now?' Merlin asked, tone casual but with an icy undercurrent to it. 'Arthur's waiting.'

'Of-of course,' Gwen stammered, attempting to regain her composure. She shot a distressed look at Lancelot before turning and hurrying away. Merlin watched her go, his cold eyes giving way to the hurt beneath.

'Merlin, don't look at me like that!' Lancelot pleaded earnestly when the last of her footsteps had faded away. 'Nothing happened, and nothing will. What you saw - it was nothing. Means nothing. I just wanted - needed - to show her that she'll be safe on the journey. It's good for her to know she has the support of the knights behind her-'

'Stop lying and making up excuses, Lancelot!,' Merlin suddenly yelled, hating the sound of lies. 'I know how you feel about her, and I know how she feels - or felt - about you! I know you -'

'Yes Merlin, you know me,' Lancelot interrupted firmly. 'You know that I value nothing more than honour and chivalry, and that I would die before betraying Arthur, my future King!'

Merlin wavered, tempted to remain angry but the truth was he _did _know Lancelot. 'Do I have your word?' he demanded.

'Yes.'

'Good.' Merlin sighed and passed his hand over his eyes. 'Lance, you're my friend but I _can't _let Arthur get hurt - I just can't. Gwen loves him, you know.'

'Yes, I do know,' Lancelot sighed. 'That's why I left after I - we - rescued her from Hengist and his men. Arthur will always come first, for all of us.' Merlin thought he detected a hint of bitterness, but he couldn't be sure and so he decided to ignore it for now. He placed a hand somewhat awkwardly on his friend's shoulder.

'I'm sorry.'

'It's not your fault,' Lancelot gave him a sad smile as he removed his hand and changed the subject quickly, nodding towards the bundle in his arms. 'You going down now?'

'Just got one more errand,' Merlin lied, giving him a bright smile.

'I could come with you and give you a hand?' Lancelot offered.

'No - no it's fine!' Merlin almost shouted, panicking. He winced at the too-short, too-loud reply. Luckily Lancelot knew when to leave him alone.

'Ah, I see,' he nodded conspiringly. 'Are you sure you don't need help?'

'No, it's nothing as dangerous as planning to destroy an entire immortal army.'

Lancelot laughed, and began to walk off. 'Nevertheless, don't hesitate to call if you do decide you need help. Do what you must to save us all!'

_Save, or destroy? _Breathing a sigh of relief and ignoring the guilt Lancelot's words brought he continued on his way, putting the Arthur-Gwen-Lancelot dilemma to the back of his mind. He had more pressing matters to worry about.

The guards in the dungeons barely noticed as he hurried past, letting his magic guide him to the right cell. Finally finding it, he set the bundle gently down on the dirty floor and took a step closer to the bars. He lowered his voice just enough so the guards couldn't hear. 'Lias? Lias!'

The girl curled up in the corner of the cell looked up in alarm at the sound of her name, then relaxed as she saw Merlin. Scrambling to her feet, she tucked a strand of dirty blond hair behind her ear as she stared at him in relief, and confusion. 'Merlin! What are you doing here?'

'Saying goodbye; there's not much time. Arthur, the knights and I are leaving now to find the King.'

'You know where he is?'

'We have a good idea.'

Disappointment crept over her features. 'I won't see you again, will I?'

Merlin grimaced. 'I don't know. Arthur has arranged for your execution to be postponed until his return so the King will officially pass sentence on you then. If you're still here when he returns, you _will _die. _If you're still here.'_

She shook her head. 'Merlin, I don't under-' Her eyes widened as he pushed his closed hand through the bars of the cell and loosened his grip slightly, the object inside flashing in the dim light. _'Oh.' _She took an unconscious step closer to the bars, and his voice dropped even further until it was barely a whisper.

'Lias, I am going to give you a chance. _Use it well.' _His voice shook for a second as he questioned his sudden, ludicrous decision, before pressing on urgently. _Can't go back now. _'I have two conditions. Promise me that you'll leave Camelot at once; and that you'll never try to kill the King again. Promise me!'

'I promise!' she whispered back fervently, a grateful, disbelieving smile lighting up her previously hopeless face. 'I promise Merlin, I swear it!'

Looking into her shining, honest eyes Merlin knew she was speaking the truth and as his hand clasped hers and the cold metal of the necklace passed between them, he knew he'd made the right decision.

'Thank you,' she whispered again in awe, tearing her gaze from the necklace long enough to tuck it safely into her dress and seize his hand once more. Her voice was becoming steadily stronger, as previously abandoned hope and elation flooded through her. '_Thank you, _Merlin! I can never repay you for this!'

The young warlock grinned back. 'Use your gifts well, and perhaps one day we will meet again.'

Slipping his hand back through the bars, he collected Arthur's things from the ground and with one last look behind him at the glowing young sorceress, he left the dungeons.

Slowly Lias moved back into her corner, withdrawing her necklace again and gazing at it in wonder. _'Forbearne,' _she murmured softly, smiling as the cheerful flame appeared before her in her palm. Silently she thanked the stars, the earth and whatever unknown deity had blessed her to meet the wonderful person that was Merlin; Secret Warlock and Faithful Protector of Camelot.

* * *

'Took your time,' Arthur grumbled as Merlin stumbled down the steps, hastily shoving the shirt and gloves into a saddlebag and strapping the bedroll on.

'Yeah, sorry,' Merlin muttered, fumbling with the straps. He wondered how long Lias would wait before making her move, and if she would keep her promises. He wondered if Arthur would guess who had betrayed him.

Sensing Merlin's distraction, Arthur moved over, keeping a firm hand on the horse at the same time. 'Here, let me help.' He quickly took over, securing the bedroll and then checking for any loose ties. When he was done, he stepped back and placing his hand on the servant's shoulder gave him an appraising look. 'Nervous?'

' 'Course not,' Merlin bluffed, giving him a cheeky grin. 'It'll be like a holiday.'

Arthur rolled his eyes smiling despite himself. 'Yes Merlin; one where we're in mortal peril at all times and have no idea what's ahead of us!'

'Doesn't sound much different from everyday life, to be honest,' Merlin shrugged, checking over his own horse.

Arthur glanced around before leaning closer to him and lowering his voice, suddenly serious. 'You know you can still back out if you want. I can't force you to come with me, and you know the danger you'll face.'

Merlin pretended to consider for a moment before shaking his head solemnly. 'Nah, it's boring here. And you'd miss me too much.'

Arthur snorted, gracefully swinging up onto his horse. 'You _wish, _Merlin.' Before he could fully admit to himself how worried he'd been for a moment there that Merlin would take his chance and decide _not_ to go after all, he looked away, focusing on the knights. He should have known he had nothing to worry about; as always, Merlin had proved his ridiculous loyalty.

The other knights and Gwen were sitting on their horses by now, all talking quietly amongst themselves. Gaius, Leon, Elyan and Percival were there to see them off. Gaius was going over the map with Gwaine and Gwen, while Leon and Lancelot were having a spirited conversation about sword fighting tactics against various beasts with Percival joining in at some points.

Merlin's voice roused him from his silent fears. 'Arthur, we're going to be fine. We can do this - we can fight whatever it is we're facing.'

'Why are you always so confident?' Arthur asked, half-curious, half-sarcastic.

'I've told you before,' the warlock shrugged again, now seated on his own horse and looking steadily at the prince. 'I believe in your destiny.'

Arthur watched him for a moment, a fond smile creeping over his face before he reined it in, and clearing his throat, addressed the knights. 'Leon, Elyan, Percival; before we go there a few more things I need to go over with you.' They nodded, and moved a slight distance away from the others.

'Good luck, Merlin,' Gaius said quietly, stepping up beside him. 'Remember to take care of yourself, not just everyone else.'

'Of course I will, Gaius!' Merlin protested innocently.

'And don't forget all that the Dragon and I told you about the Náruin. They're after something - something other than Uther. You must be careful.'

'I know, I know, I will. You don't need to worry about us Gaius; worry about the kingdom instead.'

'I'm not sure it's such a good idea for both the King and the Regent to leave Camelot at the same time,' Gaius muttered, looking disapprovingly at Arthur who was still going over final details about the kingdom with the knights.

'You know Arthur wouldn't have it any other way, he's determined to find his father. We'd have to lock him in his room again if we wanted him to stay.'

Gaius nodded gravely, his eyebrow rising further up his forehead. 'Camelot is in grave danger.'

'Nothing new then,' Merlin quipped, just as Arthur's voice rang out over the courtyard again.

'Are we ready to go?'

'As ready as we'll ever be,' Gwaine answered gamely.

'Sir Leon; Sir Elyan; Sir Percival; Gaius,' Arthur reached down and shook hands with each in turn. 'Guard the kingdom well for me.'

'With our lives, Arthur,' Leon vowed solemnly, and the others nodded in agreement.

Seeing Gwen reach down and hug her brother tightly, Merlin turned back to Gaius suddenly worried about his adopted father. When had he become so frail? 'Goodbye, Gaius. Look after yourself.'

'Take care, Merlin.'

Swallowing hard, the warlock nudged his horse forward giving the knights and Gaius one last wave as he came to a stop at Arthur's side.

'It's hard to believe it'll be a month until we see this place again,' Arthur said quietly, looking back at the great stone castle.

'Already missing your warm oversized bed?' Merlin teased, ducking Arthur's friendly punch.

'Try not to slow us down too much, Merlin,' Arthur called out as he urged his horse forward, breaking into a fast canter. Rolling his eyes, Merlin followed with Gwaine, Lancelot and Gwen close behind. Soon; too soon, they were leaving the city and entering the Darkling Woods, not once slowing the pace. As they travelled further and deeper into the trees' dark embrace, the majestic citadel of Camelot slowly disappeared from view until not even the topmost turrets could be seen.

Behind them, in the courtyard Camelot's temporary rulers rallied themselves and returned to the council chambers, resolving to do the best they could without the Pendragon family. Overhead in the canopy, birds and small tree-dwelling creature watched the party with interest and fear before resuming their everyday lives. And before them on a lonely island in the middle of a fierce sea their reflection appeared in a pool of crystals; shining steadily in the dim light. Hooded figures with flashing gold eyes surrounded the crystals, drawn to them as moths to a flame.

And high in the skies above the Seas of Meredor, the Great Dragon turned his head uneasily to the distant South where the Isle of Nirris lay, sensing the magic trained on the Once and Future King and his followers. He sifted through numerous prophecies in his mind, but still none spoke of this.

More magical energy flowed past him as the spell was sustained, pitiful compared to that of a Dragon he thought scornfully. Beating his wings angrily, he bared his long, sharp teeth in their direction and set off towards the shore to rest, letting the current of the wind carry him along. Like all Dragons Kilgharrah usually refrained from taking sides, but in this instance he knew without doubt _exactly _where his loyalties would lie.


	5. Author's Note  Not a Chapter

Dear Readers/Merlin Fans,

I'm afraid this isn't a new chapter. I'm so so sorry its been a horribly long time; six months or so since I last updated…School, GCSEs (really important exams for those not from UK) and my other ongoing story all factored in my absence, but I don't want to bore you lovely people with more excuses that can't really excuse this anyway :S If its any consolation, I'm extremely annoyed with myself too; I was so sure I would get this story finished by the time Series Four aired over here! I really _really _didn't want to still be writing it at this stage - I'm terrified they'll steal my storylines and it will look like I stole their's. :O Most of what's going to happen is already planned out (partly in my head, partly in random tiny notebooks, and one important part on my phone which is being fixed and so at the risk of being deleted -_-) but I'll try my hardest not to let the rest be influenced by what's happening in the series, feel free to call me out if you think it's getting suspiciously similar!

Never fear; I have no plans whatsoever to give up on this story. I'm working on the next chapter now (at least halfway through, maybe more), however in fairness to you guys I'm going to wait until I have _at least _two more chapters after it written, so I don't leave you all in the lurch again and I have a better foundation for the following chapter. Unfortunately my other multiparter is STILL unfinished and according to every teacher and advisor in my school we have to work twice as hard this year. Meh, maybe I can pass this off as practice for improving my handwriting for History ;)

I hope you guys aren't too disappointed, and that you haven't all given up on me yet! It's all your wonderful reviews, favourites and alerts that encourage me to keep going with this story and I'm so grateful! This will probably be replaced with the new chapter when it's up, just to satisfy my slight perfectionist tendencies..

Again, buckets of apologies, thanks and love to you all,

-Salsaxxx

PS: Series Four is amazing so far, isn't it? :D


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